Starbucks Korea recommended to make drive-thru more disability-inclusive

People enter a Starbucks store in central Seoul in this file photo from Feb. 22. Korea Times photo by Lee Han-ho

Starbucks Korea has been advised to commit to a higher standard of disability accessibility, following a recommendation by the country’s human rights watchdog to make its drive-thru service more barrier-free to people with hearing and speech or language impairments.

On Thursday, the National Human Rights Commission of Korea (NHRCK) recommended the international coffee chain to make its drive-thru service equally accessible to customers with hearing and speech or language impairments as to those without disabilities, by providing a sign language video or installing a kiosk.

The recommendation was in response to a petition lodged by a group of people with hearing and speech or language disabilities in April 2021, which said that drive-thrus at Starbucks in Korea require customers to make orders using their voice, making it inaccessible to those with hearing and language disabilities.

The group called for the company to introduce sign language translation through video screens or install kiosks at drive-thru stations to make the service more convenient for all customers.

Hwang Jin-ok, a deaf sign language interpreter at the Korea Association of the Deaf, said making orders at coffee shops is already challenging for people with hearing and language impairments in Korea.

“There are no kiosks in Starbucks, so deaf people have to make orders through mobile applications. But senior citizens who are not used to making mobile orders or those who don’t have applications downloaded to their phones end up communicating with employees by writing, which often takes a long time,” Hwang told The Korea Times, Friday.

Starbucks Korea claimed that installing kiosks in drive-thrus could increase the risk of drivers colliding with the machines. Also, the company already offers a pick-up service linked to a mobile application, through which petitioners and customers with physical challenges can make drive-thru orders without having to communicate via speaking with employees.

The company added that it will equip stores with extra equipment to enable written communication when placing drive-thru orders as well.

However, the NHRCK found that the company’s suggested solutions still discriminate against people with disabilities, as customers need to create a login account and provide their personal information, such as name, date of birth, phone and plate number, to make a contact-free order via the mobile application. It is discriminatory to require only people with hearing and language disabilities to make drive-thru orders through such a process, the watchdog said.

Also, assisting orders written communication at drive-thrus could hurt the dignity of customers with disabilities, as it could delay placing orders and cause discomfort for other customers in the line. It is ineffective for those who also have difficulties using their hands.

In response, Starbucks Korea said, "We respect the NHRCK’s recommendation and plan to seek internal and external opinions to find an optimal solution that reflects the watchdog’s purpose of recommendation.”